Innovation and sustainability as drivers of the future of the Port of Tarragona

The Port of Tarragona has been recognized with the CETIT Innovation and Sustainability Award, an award that highlights the transformation that this key infrastructure for the territory has undergone. We speak with Santiago Castellà, president of the Tarragona Port Authority, about the role of innovation, sustainability, the relationship with technical engineers and the port's vision for the future within the framework of the College's 100th anniversary.

What has it meant for the Port of Tarragona to receive the CETIT Innovation and Sustainability Award?

We value it very positively. It is a particularly relevant recognition because it comes from the most technical part of the territory, which knows the reality of the port well and can evaluate the work we are doing with criteria. The port has experienced very significant growth in the last thirty or forty years, especially since the consolidation of the petrochemical industry, and we have achieved this growth accompanied by the College and its technicians. Therefore, the fact that our capacity for innovation is valued, and especially in terms of sustainability, is very important to us.

What role does innovation play in current port management and what objectives are associated with it?

Innovation is no longer, as it was ten years ago, an element that accompanies or decorates the activity, but rather the engine that drives all management. The world is changing very quickly, and especially maritime logistics and its connection with land logistics. Digitalization and new technologies are advancing at a very accelerated pace, and if we do not pay attention to them immediately, we run the risk of becoming obsolete. Having innovation tools that allow us to apply constant improvements and permanently rethink processes is essential for the port.

What message would you like to convey to technical engineers in the context of the 100th anniversary of CETIT?

  Technical engineers have excellent training and are very versatile. The diversity of areas of specialization makes their profile particularly interesting for the port. The port must be not only a space for professional practice, but also a place where technical engineers share all their capabilities and potential with the territory, and where they can develop global and international professional careers. We are living a very good time and have consolidated a solid relationship with the College. Many registered engineers have worked, work and will work at the port, and for us this is a real luxury.

What value do centennial institutions have for the territory?

  Centenary institutions are a very valuable asset. In our daily lives we often tend to improvise, and having institutions with a track record, tradition and the ability to transmit knowledge between generations provides continuity, institutional respect and solidity. The centenary of the College could also be the centenary of the port: we share history, track record and a mutual need that has been consolidated with the centenary events and that is clearly projected into the future.

Can you briefly explain your professional career until you became president of the Port of Tarragona?

In an initial stage I was in charge of the relations between the university and the territory. We created a network of more than twenty antennas of knowledge, connecting the local world, the study centers and the university, with the aim of bringing knowledge to the entire territory and generating a stable network of collaboration. Subsequently, with the different responsibilities that I have assumed, especially as sub-delegate of the State Government in Tarragona, I have maintained this vocation of territorial dynamism.

What role have Next Generation funds played in this stage?

My time as deputy delegate coincided with the launch of the Next Generation funds. I was able to work with almost all the town councils and entities in the territory to promote the presentation of transformative projects. From the very beginning, these funds were identified as a key element of dynamism for the territory, and I currently continue to carry out this task of dynamism from the port.

Is there any innovation or sustainability project that you would particularly highlight?

We work on very diverse projects. In the area of sustainability, the biodiversity recovery project linked to the Natura 2000 Network stands out, the most important project that has been developed in Catalonia in this field. The projects linked to the railway are also very relevant: the port has 46 kilometers of internal railway network, which allows a significant increase in the transport of goods by rail.

What are the most innovative projects currently being developed at the port?

  We are working on projects related to the use of drones for port services: unloading control, access, internal mobility, punctual cleaning of ships or transport of small goods. It is a project subsidized by the Ports 4.0 program and marks a very interesting line of innovation for the future of the port.

What is the role of the port in relation to the territory and the ecological transition?

The port is a public service at the service of the territory. It is not a business in itself, but an infrastructure that must facilitate the arrival of products and contribute to generating value chains that enhance the territorial economy. We work with sectors such as petrochemicals, but also with new opportunities such as offshore wind, and this requires us to be very attentive to the ecological transition and digital transformation.

How should this transition be addressed so that it is sustainable and fair?

We want to be a benchmark in the decarbonization processes of the industry and place the port at the forefront of a more sustainable economy. We like to define ourselves as a “green port for a clean economy”. However, this transition must also be socially fair. It cannot benefit a few to the detriment of the whole. That is why we attach great importance to citizen participation, social involvement and the equitable distribution of benefits, with the aim of development generating more opportunities for everyone.

The recognition by CETIT highlights a historical and solid relationship between the Port of Tarragona and the technical engineers of the territory. Innovation, sustainability and social commitment are the pillars of a shared future project, which is built on knowledge, collaboration and a clear vocation for public service.